TRP: Jasper and Larkin (Undercity)
COYOTE: ' Day 210. Jasper and Larkin are still trapped in the Undercity. They followed the tracks for hours. Eventually, they came to a series of small caverns filled with mushrooms: some big, some small, some thick and woody, some glowing softly with pale light. They set camp and made a fire from the mushrooms, then curled up beside it. The cavern was chilly this deep down, so Jasper wrapped her fur-lined cloak around them both. She closed her eyes, enjoying the shape of Larkin’s body against her own but too tired to do anything about it. Sleep came hard and fast. When Jasper awoke, she was cold and alone. She groaned, shifting upright. Larkin stood over by the exit of the cave, staring blankly into space. Something was wrong. An intruder? Jasper wondered. “Lark?” she said. “What’s wrong?” '''JEN: ' Larkin continued to stand and stare for a moment longer, then she moved as if coming to live only just then. Her eyes focused on Jasper. "No." She blinked a few times, then smiled. "I liked the way you kissed." 'COYOTE: ' Jasper eyed her. She had a weird fucking gut feeling something was wrong here, but— eh, maybe this was just Larkin’s way of flirting. Oh, wait, hang on. Larkin was still really pissed at Azriel, wasn’t she? She was just on the rebound or something. “Uh,” Jasper said, then paused. “I... liked the way you kissed, too. Listen— you’re probably still fucked up about Azriel, right? We, uh, probably shouldn’t have done that... I mean, you’re all... emotionally compromised...” 'JEN: ' "Azriel," Larkin said, dreamily, but then her smile faded. She stared at Jasper, her face dropping into a blank expression, then into a sneer. Larkin shook her head and, jerking around, kicked a mushroom off the wall, the fungus exploding into a cloud of glowing shreds. The light faded where they landed on the ground. 'COYOTE: ' Jasper nodded slowly. “Yeah, uh, Azriel.” She went to grab Larkin and guide her to sit down. “Larkin, did you eat any funny mushrooms? We agreed not to eat the mushrooms.” 'JEN: ' Larkin's body was tense but she didn't resist Jasper. She sat down, eyeing the smouldering remains of their mushroom fire and wrinkling her nose. "Didn't eat. I'm hungry." She shifted where she sat, toes wagging in her boots, eyeing Jasper up and down with a blank expression. 'COYOTE: ' Jasper kept nodding slowly. Her face steadily began to turn pink as Larkin said she was hungry and eyed Jasper up and down. “Right. Okay. Um, maybe we should... we should wait for that until... we’re somewhere safer...” 'JEN: ' That made Larkin grin and she sat up on her knees, crawling closer to Jasper. "I got a home. It's safe." 'COYOTE: ' Jasper crawled backwards at a similar rate. “Uhkay. Listen... you’re, uh... very attractive... and I’m sure you’re very... dexterous... and bendable... and have a lot of stamina... oh, god, what am I saying. Fuck. Okay. Larkin, you uh— you need to stop flirting with me, because we can’t have sex in the Undercity with monsters around, and I have very poor self-control and might just fucking do it anyway...” 'JEN: ' Larkin didn't stop crawling until she had Jasper backed against a wall, and then she climbed on top of her to run fingers through Jasper's hair and nuzzle at her neck. She gave no indication she had heard Jasper at all. 'COYOTE: ' Jasper tensed. She took a moment to absorb it: Larkin nuzzling her neck touching her hair, breathing the same air. God, fuck, damn. What was the harm? Maybe they could... maybe they could fool around a bit, and it’d be fun, and then they could escape. Except— Larkin was acting bizarre, out’ve character— almost like— Jasper froze. The footprints. Changing shape. Shapechanger. Larkin. Out’ve character. “Hey Larkin,” Jasper managed to say. “Earlier. When we realized there was a shapeshifter around. We came up with a codeword in case it impersonated us. What was the codeword?” 'JEN: ' Larkin stopped. She breathed into Jasper's hair once, twice, then sat up straight to look at Jasper with a vacant expression. A moment later, Larkin buried her face in Jasper hair again and resumed nibbling and kissing her neck. "No codeword," she mumbled under her breath. 'COYOTE: ' Oh. It was Larkin, then. “Eh,” Jasper said. “Fuck it.” And she started fumbling with Larkin’s clothes. Might as well lose her virginity before she died. 'JEN: ' Larkin gave a low purr when Jasper put her hands to her skin and bit Jasper's neck a bit harder, sucked on it, then drew her tongue along her jawline and to her throat. She nibbled there, too, for a moment, before biting down on it, even harder than before. 'COYOTE: ' “Oh— oh wow. That feels... that’s really... ah fuck. Ah, fuck.” Jasper shuddered, shifting, pulling Larkin closer to her. “That’s good, that’s— oh wow, you’re biting pretty hard there. That, uh, that might... that actually kinda hurts, can you uh... are you licking blood off my neck?” 'JEN: ' And odd trilling sound came out of Larkin's mouth as she pressed her knees against Jasper's sides, pinning her. Then she sank her teeth into Jasper's throat. 'COYOTE: ' Oh fuck. Oh, fuck! Jasper reacted automatically. She drew the knife from her side in a flash, stabbing the monster on top of her. It sank into the creature’s flesh with more resistance than usual, as if the creature were made of thick, heavy clay instead of skin and bone. Blood dribbled onto her, slicking the knife in her hands, making it almost impossible to hold. Jasper hung on and kept stabbing, brutally, over and over again, any fleshy part she could reach. 'JEN: ' The doppelgänger shrieked in pain and its features contorted as it scrambled backwards, hissing, limping, trying to get away from Jasper and her knife. It screeched at her from a few feet away, the sound a mixture of a cat's yowl and Larkin's voice. Her mouth- its mouth- drew back impossibly far, making Larkin's face look all wrong, too triangular, the eyes sunken in too deep and the teeth too much like needles. 'COYOTE: ' Jasper thought fast. Instead of killing it or attacking it, she grabbed a fistful of hot embers with her hand and started throwing them at the creature. If she drove it off—made it run— maybe it would run back to that cave it talked about. And maybe, just fucking maybe, Jasper could find Larkin. 'JEN: ' It growled deep in its throat. When Jasper didn't come after it, the doppelgänger seemed to smell a chance. It scrambled forward, eyes locked on Jasper's bloodied throat, until a piece of ember struck it in the face and it screeched again, clawing off the hot fungus. Having had enough, it turned on its heels and bolted out the cave entrance. 'COYOTE: ' Jasper leaned against the wall, panting. She took a moment to catch her breath. She didn’t follow it— not immediately. She wanted it to think it was safe, that it could go home, that she wasn’t giving chase. Then, once thirty second or so had passed, she padded silently after it, following the bloodstains along cave walls. It led her deep into the cave system. 'JEN: ' The doppelgänger scurried through the tunnels to its home, taking the paths leading there in a roundabout way even though it was bleeding heavily and the slashes hurt. Lose the human. It would feed on the other, the not-human, as soon as it had licked its wounds and gotten some strength back. The not-human wouldn't be able to stay awake forever and then, and then... The big, black eyes reflecting the faint glow of fungus appeared over the rim of the pit and Larkin scuffled back against the wall at the sight of her own face set with the ugly features of the shape changer. It stared at her hungrily but seemed unsure whether to hop down and try to take a bite out of her. Didn't have to, probably- there was a large, dark smear all over its face and its body was drenched in blood as well. Oh fuck, Larkin thought. Oh no. "Hey!" She shouted at the creature, back pressed against the rough wall of the pit and her torn arm clutched tight to her chest. "Hey you little fuck! What'd you do to her? Come the fuck down here, I'm gonna rip your fucking throat ou! Come on!" 'COYOTE: ' Jasper followed the monster. Eventually, though, it’s tracks disappeared at the end of what looked like a dead end. Then she saw it: a thin crevice at the back of the cave, partially obscured by vines and moss. Jasper knelt by the entrance. Footprints led inside. Multiple sets. Drag marks, too, like the creature dragged prey back here often. Larkin was in there, dead or alive. Fucking doppelganger. Jasper was gonna throttle it to death with her bare hands. She wished it’d dragged her off instead of Larkin-- then Jasper could’ve beaten it to death. If Larkin was dead-- if Larkin was dead, Jasper was gonna kill this doppelganger, and then she was gonna escape then Undercity alone, and then she’d go get Azriel and Raef… she’d get the whole gang, anybody she could get to help her… and they’d go back into the undercity and burn every doppelganger alive. She’d hunt them all down, one by one, and kill them all. Death to shapeshifters. All shapeshifters. Jasper slipped quietly into the crevice. She stepped into the next room. . This was the creature’s home. It crouched next to an enormous pit, leering down into it, blood and saliva dripping from his teeth. And then Larkin’s voice screamed from down in the pit. Jasper’s breath caught. Alive. Fucking alive. She wasn’t too late. There was still time to save Larkin. Jasper glanced around the room. No other doppelgangers. The monster was alone. Jasper moved forward. Her feet made no noise, not a whisper of sound. But the creature seemed to sense her anyway-- it suddenly stood up, straightening, and glanced over its shoulder back at her, looking confused. Jasper was quick, quiet, and efficient. She threw her arm around the creature’s throat and dragged it backwards, then twisted her arm. The doppelganger’s neck broke with a muffled snap. Jasper dropped it, letting the monster fall to the ground with a thump. The room was silent. There was no noise except for Jasper’s soft breathing. Larkin was in the pit. 'JEN: ' Something moved behind the creature and a moment later, it dropped dead. "Jasper!" Larkin shouted, because who the fuck else would it be? "Down here!" 'COYOTE: ' Larkin. Jasper crouched down and swung her leg into the pit, then hopped down into the pit. She crushed Larkin into a hug— then, fucking immediately, let go, clearing her throat and backing off. 'JEN: ' Larkin winced when Jasper pulled her into the hug- it squeezed her arm between them and it still fucking hurt from where the doppelgänger's teeth had sunken into it to drag her to its cave. "Fuck, Jasper," she said, backing off a little. "Can't tell you how glad I am to see you." 'COYOTE: ' Jasper kissed the top of his dirty hair, but then let her step back. Jasper realized something, suddenly. She glanced up. Now they were both in the pit. “Uh,” Jasper said. 'JEN: ' Larkin followed Jasper's line of sight. Up on the rim of the pit she could see the slumped form of the shapeshifter but nothing more. No ladder, no rope, no nothing. She cradled her arm. "You gotta climb out and get me something to hold on to. I can't climb." 'COYOTE: ' Jasper nodded. She glanced down. They stood ankle-deep in a pile of bones-- some old, some new. Jasper snapped one in half, then used it to stab into the soft earthen wall. Jasper scaled the wall with her new climbing implements, then swung back over the edge. She grabbed the coil of rope from her belt, tied it to a stalactite, and lowered it down. 'JEN: ' Larkin took the end and looped it around her waist, then found a foothold in the wall. Jasper probably didn't need it but Larkin could still take some weight off her. 'COYOTE: ' Jasper dragged the rope up, hand over hand. Larkin was fairly lightweight. Finally, Larkin reached the top, and Jasper caught her good arm, pulling her to her feet and steadying her. There was a beat of silence. Jasper glanced at the dead doppelgänger. “Hey,” she said. “What’d you suppose shapeshifter tastes like?” 'JEN: ' . "Fucking ew." Larkin squeezed her eyes shut because they were about to water from the tangy taste of the doppelgänger's flesh. Helped with not looking at her own twisted shape being impaled over a fungus fire, too. In death it had half morphed back into its own form, or at least Larkin assumed that was what it was, but the body was still a humanoid shape and the face a nightmarish version of her own. She stuck the piece of meat onto her knife and held it out over the flames. Maybe roasting it some more would get rid of the taste. 'COYOTE: ' Jasper winced a little as she watched Larkin eat the Larkin-doppelgänger. Creepy things. Once they’d had their fill, Jasper dragged herself upright. She was exhausted, but there were still things to take care of. “Hey. While I was looking for you, I noticed— there’s some pools back that way.” She pointed in the direction of one of the caves. “We should get you cleaned up.” 'JEN: ' "Yeah... probably for the best." Larkin picked at the pieces of cloth they'd wrapped around her arm. They were dirty and blood soaked already. Hopefully they'd find a way put of here before it got infected. "Can you, uh, help me?" 'COYOTE: ' Jasper led her to the baths. As they walked, Jasper gently picked off the bloodied and torn cloth, and she tore strip off her own clothes to use as a bandage. Finally, they reached the water: an enormous underground pool, faintly lit with the light of the glowing blue mushrooms. Jasper began to strip, tossing aside her clothes. She carefully set her weapons at the edge of the pool, easily within grabbing range. 'JEN: ' Larkin struggled to get her own clothes off. Undoing her bootlaces and pants was easy enough but trying to pull her shirt over her head, she winced and got stuck, and had to look to Jasper for help. 'COYOTE: ' Jasper cast her an amused look. God, Larkin was so fucking precious. Jasper tried to keep a straight face, though; she was pretty sure that Larkin Basha, former prince of the fallen Basha empire, now lone wolf out for revenge, probably wouldn't appreciate it. (God, that was hot.) They'd been undressed around each other before. It was a casual thing. Nakedness wasn't, like, inherently sexual. This time it felt... different, though. Jasper caught herself flushing as she helped Larkin strip, and she caught herself staring at Larkin a moment too long. Larkin was lean and strong and a little bony. Jasper dropped Larkin's clothing on the floor. 'JEN: ' "Uhm, Jasper? What is it?" 'COYOTE: ' Jasper didn't say anything. Bit her tongue, instead. Larkin looked flexible and strong. Jasper already knew what Larkin looked like naked, so there was nothing to wonder about there. So instead Jasper thought: I wonder she'd look like with her back arched. At twisted up, grabbing the sheets. Jasper thought, I wonder what her face looks like when she comes. Jasper thought: I wonder what she sounds like. But she didn't say anything, not one fucking thing, because fucking none of that was appropriate. Larkin was her coworker, and Jasper was being... fucking disrespectful, thinking about her like that. So instead, Jasper shook her head and forced herself to look away. "You, uh-- you should get cleaned up." 'JEN: ' "Uh-huh. Yeah." Larkin narrowed her eyes, feeling... a lot more naked suddenly than she had a moment before. Usually she didn't care much about undressing in front of people, if it was necessary, but something in Jasper's look made her stomach twinge and her face feel too hot in the chilly cave air. She cleared her throat and looked away, too, to step into the pool and get as much of her under water as possible. 'COYOTE: ' Jasper ducked her head guiltily. Aw no. She'd made Larkin uncomfortable. She wet a cloth with the hot spring water, then used it to carefully wipe away the blood on Larkin's skin. She kept her eyes carefully trained on Larkin's arm, which seemed safe. Arms weren't sexual, right? 'JEN: ' Larkin winced, as much because of the pain of the bites as with awkwardness. She needed something.... something to talk about. What could people talk about in a cave? Nice bats today? "Ah... ow! Uhm. So...ah. Fucking shapeshifter, huh? I'm glad it didn't get you. What, uhm... how'd you notice?" 'COYOTE: ' "It tried to eat me." 'JEN: ' "Well, yeah, that's a fucking giveaway. Sorry, I should've told you I was going to take a leak but I didn't wanna wake you up." 'COYOTE: ' "Yeah. Yeah." Jasper nodded. Oh, god. Larkin was... so fucking pretty, but also.... she might, like, stab Jasper... which was-- also incredibly attractive. Oh god. And Jasper wanted to kiss her, but-- what if Larkin didn't want Jasper to kiss her? Except Larkin had kissed her before, in the elevator, but maybe that was just, like, a gratitude thing, and it'd be bad to push this. To ask for too much. God, Jasper was gonna die. She kept scrubbing the blood off. She focused on the texture of Larkin's skin. This was good enough for right now. "Wanna hear something hilarious?" Jasper said. "I thought the doppelganger was fucking hitting on me." 'JEN: ' "Oh yeah? Huh, that's... huh." Larkin sank a bit deeper into the water and blew air bubbles into it. Some got into her mouth and she spat. "Ew!" 'COYOTE: ' Jasper snorted. She grabbed a rock from nearby the edge and began scrubbing herself. Felt like pumice, which was nice. “Hey,” she said suddenly. “About your uncle’s... y’know, empire collapsing...” 'JEN: ' "Hm? What about it?" Larkin mumbled into the water, producing more bubbles. 'COYOTE: ' Jasper hesitated. She probably shouldn’t have brought it up. Telling Larkin family empires are dumb and I’m glad you’re a lone wolf now would probably piss Larkin off. She was glad, though. Larkin was young, and she was talented. She was better off alone, not getting used by Renar. She was free, now. And she’d chosen to stay with the group. “Nothing,” Jasper said. “Just wanted to let you know I— get it, y’know? I mean, my family empire’s pretty much dust, too.” She sank lower into the hot pool. “Guess it was different for me, since I basically left. But still.” 'JEN: ' "And you're... good with that? Or..." 'COYOTE: ' “Yeah.” Jasper ran her tongue over a cut on her lip, tasting blood. “People in my family have— different functions. Azriel and Abel, they’re spellcasters. My mom... liked them more, I guess. Thought they were smarter. Me, I couldn’t cast magic at all. Thugs are a dime a dozen. She made my dad raise me. It wasn’t a big deal when I ran off. It’s not like it meant anything. I wasn’t worth anything to them.” 'JEN: ' "Ah, shit. That sucks." Wasn't the most reassuring thing to say but everything Larkin had at the moment. What else what she supposed to say, though? How Jasper would've been better off growing up as Renar's daughter, who would've cooed over her no matter if she had magic or not? Who commanded a whole army of thugs but didn't think less of any them just for being street level, because that's where he'd come from as well? Nah, didn't sound like it'd help. "Just so you know," Larkin tried instead, "Your mom's been stupid. You're no thug, you're a life saver." She grinned. 'COYOTE: ' Yeah, that was what people kept saying. Wyn has told her the same thing about underestimating herself. Sounded fake, though. “Thanks,” Jasper said. And then, before she could second guess it any farther, she kissed Larkin on the cheek, then went back to scrubbing herself. “I know this probably isn’t what you’re looking to hear, but it’s hot you’re like a— fucking lone wolf now,” Jasper said affectionately. 'JEN: ' Larkin started at the kiss and her face went hot. She quickly dunked it under and went to scrubbing. "Lone wolf, huh?" She considered when her head was above water again. "That's... really stupid. I'd rather be still a gangster. Besides... " Larkin gave Jasper a grin and a wink. "Cant really get rid of you people either." '''JEN: '''at 10:33 AM [ '''END] Title: Undercity Summary: Jasper and Larkin get trapped under Skyport while trying to retrieve some contraband. A shapeshifter attacks them while they're trying to find a way out. Category:Text Roleplay